The present invention relates to a device for automatically tracking a moving object.
In a known device of this type DE-OS [Federal Republic of Germany Laid-Open Patent Application ]No. 3,128,433, a measuring head, which is used simultaneously as a range finder, automatically follows a horizontally moving object equipped with reflectors, generally called a target, even if the target moves at a high velocity, e.g. at up to 60 km/h. Relatively low transmitting power is required for tracking the target.
However, this automatic target tracking system is limited to an object which moves essentially only in one plane, with slight displacement components of the object in a direction perpendicular thereto not causing any problem. This known device fails, however, if the perpendicular displacement component becomes large, and thus does not permit tracking of an object moving three-dimensionally in space.